Gas pilot light control apparatus



Aug. 20, 1935. E. L. HALL ET AL 2,012,004

GAS PILOT LIGHT CONTRQL APPARATUS I Filed April 24, 193:5 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 //VVE/V70/?J MMEJS: fZ/wzfi Z /7 a// 3 Ec/wa ra zzraa I 6 v Z Aug. 20, 1935.

E. L. HALL ET AL GAS PILOT LIGHT' CONTROL APPARATUS Filed April 24, 1933 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Aug. 20 1935 UNITED sTA ES PATENT OFFICE GAS PILOT LIGHT CONTROL APPARATUS Edwin L. Hall, Philadelphia, and Edward J. Brady, Swarthmore, Pa., Adele S. Brady, administratrix of said Edward J. Brady, deceased. assignors to The United Gas Improvement Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 24, 1033, Serial No. 667,651

3' Claims. (01. 251--92) pressed against a second surface to confine the flow of gas to the groove.

This method of pilot flow control is much less liable to pilot outage than flow control by needle valve or other orifices or short passages because in these latter mentioned methods to secure the desired low flow thewidth of the orificeor short passage must be very small and tends to become stopped by small quantities of gum or dust.

For instance, present gas range pilots are usually controlled by needle valve orifices which when adjusted Ior a typical pilot flow of0.2 to 0.3 cubic foot per hour at a typical gas pressure of 3.5 inches of water may only have a width of approximately .00028 inch.

The width and depth of the long groove may be very many times the width of such an adjusted needle valve. We prefer not to employ a groove having a width or depth less than .02 inch which which is "70 times the above needlevalve orifice width. V

The stoppage of these needle valve pilots is a ,cause of constant expense to gas distributing companies and Ba source of danger due to possible asphyxiation or explosions in modern gas appliances which are turned on intermittently by automatic means.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide pilot flow control apparatus employing a. long tortuous capillary groove channel for the control of the gasflow, which is readily adjustable-- for difierent conditions of gas pressure and desired flow.

The invention willbe described in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a is seated in a seat member 2 provided with a corresponding interior conical surface.

The plug I is providedin its conical surface with the long back and forth capillary groove 3 which terminates at one endin the annular groove 4, 5

with which is registered the passage 5 in the seat member, leading therethrough to the threaded opening 6 into which may be screwed a pipe lead- .ing to the pilot burner. The'other end of the groove 3 is indicated at I.

The seat member 2 is provided with the threaded lug 8 adapted to be screwed into a tapped hole in the burner bar of a gas range. 9 is a passage leading through the lug 8 and arranged to register with the upper ends of passes of the groove 3.

The plug I is provided with the cylindrical stem III which extends through a close fitting opening in the seat'member 2 and is threaded to receive the tightening nut II. I2 is'a lock nut.

The plug I is recessed at I3 for insertion of a 0 tool for turning the plug.

When the nuts I I and I2 are tightened the plug I is drawn down tightly into the bore of the seat member "2 and held against rotation. When the nuts are loosened the plug I may be rotated so as to register the inner end of the passage 9 with successive passes of the groove 3, bypassing all portions of the groove between its end at l and the inner end of passage 9. The end-of the passage 9 may be arranged to register over two groove passages in such manner that full opening into one pass is insured. Marks may be placed on the top .of the plug and the seat member to indicate the portion of the groove in the gas path. Referring to Fig. 2, I4 generally indicates the 3 apparatus of Fig. 1. I5 is the burner bar of a gas range. I6 the pipe leading tothe pilot burner I'l.

I8 is a cooking burner supplied by gas from the burner bar through pipe I9 as' controlled by cock 20. 2| is an ignition tube. 40

In the operation of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and w 2 gas passes continuously from the burner bar through passage 9 and through that portion of groove '3 extending between passage 9 and the annular groove 4. From groove 3 the gas passes 5 throughthe annular groove 4 and through-passage 5 and pipe I6 to the pilot burner II.

Y When the burner I8 is to be, ignited, the cook 20 is .turned vandgas is supplied to the burner through'pipe I9. The gas issuing from some of the burner ports passes through 'the tube 2| to the pilot burner I'l, ignites and flashes back ignit-.

ing the gas issuing from the other ports of burner I8. j The control apparatus of Fig. 1 may be economsmall unit. For instance 50 inches of groove .035 inch. wide and having a cross sectional area equivalent to a circle of .035 inch diameter may be readily provided in a plug one inch in diameter and one and one-half inches long. Such a groove is very much less liable to stoppage than a needle valve adjusted for the same flow under the same conditions.

The apparatus may be readily adjusted to give substantially the same flow under widely different pressure conditions by rotating the plug and increasing or decreasing the length of groove in the path of the gas, the length being increased for higher pressures and decreased for lower. Or widely varying flows may be secured for the same pressure conditions, adapting the same size control for a variety of appliances. The shorter the length of groove the higher the flow and the longer the length of groove the lower the flow under the same pressure.

The distance between the pass of the groove terminating in groove 4 and the end pass terminating at 1 may be made great enough to cover the end of the passage 9 when the plug is so rotated, providing means to shut oi! the pilot flow if desired.

Or the seat may be provided witha separate channel arranged in communication with the torch flow outlet passage of the Rutz lighter valve and leading to the annular groove 4 which groove and the passage 5 are made of suflicient size to carry the torch flow. A passage corresponding to 9 is arranged to communicate with the pilot flow bypass in the Rutz valve body. In this latter case the pilot gas flows through the pilot bypass in the Rutz lighter body which is arranged without needle valve control and from thence through the passage corresponding to passage 9 and thence through the plug groove to the annular groove 4 and to the pilot burneras before.

When the Rutz" lighter torch valve is opened the torch flow gas passes through the valve and through the torch flow outlet passage in the Rutz lighter body to the separate passage in the plug] seat and thence through the annular groove 4 and passage 5 to the pilot burner.

g The-modification 01' my device containing a modified torch gas range lighter of the "Rutz type is shown in Fig. 3, where there is shown body I mounted in casing 2. Body I carries on its outer surface a nonrectilinear groove 3, which terminates at one end in an annular groove 4 which registers with passage 5 in seat member 2- leading to a threaded opening 8. 1 designates an inlet bypass passage having an end adapted to join with a portion 01' groove 3. Body I carries at one end a cylindrical stem l0, adapted to receive tightening nut II and lock-nut I2 to adjustably secure thebody in casing 2. Body I has L 2,012,0o4 ically manufactured. It may be provided in a lusting the length oi! groove 3,,which lies between passage 9 and groove 4.

At its opposite end, seat member 2 has a threaded portion 31 containing an inlet passage 38 leading to a chamber '39, from which leads the inlet bypass passage 9. Chamber 39 is screwthreaded tor the insertion of a valve seat member 40 having an upstanding flange 4| and ports 48 therein. Torch flow passage 49 leads through seat member 2 to outlet 6. Within valve seat 40 is mounted valve 42, having a stem 43 screwthreadedly engaged with button 44, which has sliding engagement with the inner side of flange 4|. Spring 45 is located in chamber 46 and bears at its lower end against a washer 41 surrounding valve stem 43. When valve 42 is closed against valve seat 40, the bypass flow of gas flows through 38-39 and a portion of groove 3 456. When valve 42 is opened, the torch flow of gas flows through 38-3948--49 to 6.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates that modifications may be made in details of construction and arrangement and matters of mere form without departing from the spirit of the invention which is not limited to such matters, or otherwise than the prior art and the appended claims may require.

We claim:

1. A gas pilot light control comprising, in combination, a plug valve casing having inlet and outlet gas connections, and a plug turnably mounted in, the casing and having an annular groove in communication with the outlet gas connection and having a sinuous groove of which one end communicates with the annular groove and of which the passes are aligned with the inlet gas connection to vary the eflective length outlet gas connections, a plug turnably mounted a recess I9 for the insertion of a tool for adin the casing and having on its curved surface s a sinuous groove of which the passes are aligned with one of said gas connections and of which an end communicates with the other of said, gas connections to vary the effective length or the groove. I I

3. A gas pilot light control comprising, in combination, a plug valve casing having inlet and outlet gas connections, a plug turnably mounted in the casing and having onits curved surface a sinuous groove of which the passes are spaced to provide a surface for covering and uncovering one 01' said gas connections, and said groove adapted to be included in greater and less extent between said connections.

I anwm in. HALL. EDWARD J. BRADY. 

